The mayor of Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro has denied online claims that Mangyan Iraya children were killed during the New Year's Day encounters between government troops and New People’s Army (NPA) elements, the Philippine Army (PA) said on Wednesday, Jan. 14.

According to the 2nd Infantry Division (2ID), Mayor Meg Constantino denied that three Mangyan children died during the encounter, contrary to claims floated by rights groups Karapatan and their allied organizations.

Constantino allegedly said the claims “had no factual basis” as the municipal government personally verified the situation through consultations with sitio leaders and affected communities.

“There were none—and I attest to this—no three Mangyan children died,” Constantino was quoted as saying in a news release from the 2ID.

Constantino said community leaders have also confirmed the absence of Mangyan casualties.

“We interviewed the leaders of the affected communities. They themselves said that no children are missing, no one was injured, and no mother was wounded because of the incident,” she said.

The mayor also urged the public and media not to portray Abra de Ilog as a conflict-ridden area.

“Please do not show the town of Abra de Ilog as if it is besieged by chaos. We are peaceful. No children were hurt in the incident last January 1,” she said.

The statement came after allegations circulated online by Karapatan and allied groups that Mangyan children were killed during the encounters between elements of the 2ID and alleged members of the remnants of the dismantled Komiteng Larangang Gerilya–Island Committee Mindoro (KLG-ICM) under the Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee.

The military said Karapatan’s claims did not include names, locations, or any verifiable details about the supposed death of the Mangyan children.

Colonel Michael Aquino, spokesperson of the 2ID, said the accusations by the rights groups ignored accounts from the ground. He said local officials and community leaders consistently denied any civilian deaths.

“These are serious accusations. They have not presented a single name, family, or community to support their claims. In contrast, local government officials, sitio leaders, and indigenous youth organizations in Abra de Ilog have spoken clearly and consistently—there were no civilian casualties,” Aquino said.

“These false narratives mislead the public and disrespect the very communities they claim to defend,” he added.

Aquino said fabricating or exaggerating incidents erodes public trust and spreads fear among residents who are working to maintain peace.

He said the January 1 operations were conducted after reports from residents and were carried out with strict adherence to civilian protection.

During the encounter, one fatality was reported identified as Jerlyn Rose Doydora, a 24-year-old student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education with a Major in English at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM).

The military tagged her as a rebel but human rights groups vehemently denied this, saying she was only in the area to conduct research involving farmers, indigenous peoples, and revolutionary groups.

A Filipino-American activist was also rescued by the military, identified as Chantal Anicoche. She was found a few meters away from the encounter site but rights groups refused to believe she was saved by the military and accused the Army of staging the rescue operation.